FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2003
Contact: Diane Thomas
714.834.6203
County Volunteers
Provide Services Valued At $24 Million
(Santa Ana, CA) - As
the County faces severe State budget cuts, the value of
volunteers becomes truly priceless. More than 24,000 volunteers
and 1,084,000 hours of service were valued at $24 million
in avoided costs for County government in 2002. To celebrate
these achievements, the Board of Supervisors will honor
volunteers at the seventh annual Countywide volunteer
recognition ceremony.
This year's honorees will be recognized at 8:30 a.m. on
April 30. The ceremony will be held in the Board hearing
room on the first floor of the Hall of Administration
(HOA), 10 Civic Center Plaza in Santa Ana. The Board will
greet the honorees at a 7:45 a.m. reception in the first
floor lobby of the HOA. Certificates will be presented
during the awards ceremony and photo opportunities will
immediately follow the event.
The 40 honorees include 37 individuals (volunteers, student
interns and reserves) and three volunteer groups representing
11 County agencies/departments. Each of the honorees has
a poignant story including Irene Wirtz, Conrad Wilson
and Trucly Pham.
Eighty-year-old Irene Wirtz, from Dana Point, is a charter
member of the Dana Point Police Services Volunteers in
Police Support (V.I.P.S.). For the past 11 years, she
has volunteered more than 3,500 service hours. Wirtz has
accepted a leadership position and currently coordinates
the unit's van patrol and works closely with the program
director and other V.I.P.S members to ensure patrol schedule
coverage.
As a second grade teacher, Conrad Wilson, of Huntington
Beach, dedicates countless hours to his students, helping
them attain academic success. As a volunteer, Wilson is
a mentor for at-risk youth with Children and Youth Services-Project
Together.
"Conrad exemplifies the true meaning of an altruistic
adult who is committed to helping children," said Sharon
Modaff, Service Chief I, HCA/Project Together. "He educates
and nurtures children while reinforcing the future of
our community. For more than nine years, he's served as
a positive role model and friend for children with severe
emotional and behavioral problems including a child with
Asperger's Syndrome, a developmental disability that impairs
social interaction."
Fountain Valley resident and UCI graduate, Trucly Pham
has been a volunteer with the District Attorney's Governmental
and Community Relations Unit since 2001. Pham has contributed
more than 300 volunteer hours to the program's Vietnamese
outreach efforts. She has participated in weekend and
evening community outreach events and has been involved
in helping to create English/Vietnamese brochures.
More information on the County's volunteer recognition
ceremony, directions to the HOA and parking instructions
are available online at http://www.ocgov.com/volunteer/volunteer.asp.
You can access County agencies and departments online
at www.ocgov.com.
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